Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth
	The pavilion logo, a throwback to the original logo, introduced in 2019 for EPCOT signage
	Spaceship Earth in 2022
EPCOT
Area	Future World (1982–2021); World Celebration (2021–present);
Coordinates	28°22′31″N 81°32′58″W / 28.37528°N 81.54944°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	October 1, 1982
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Dark ride
Manufacturer	Walt Disney Imagineering
Designer	Walt Disney Imagineering
Music	Edo Guidotti (1994–2007); Bruce Broughton (2007–present);
Site area	109,375 sq ft (10,161.3 m2)
Vehicle type	Omnimover
Riders per vehicle	4
Rows	2
Riders per row	2
Duration	15:00
Host	Vic Perrin (1982–1986); Walter Cronkite (1986–1994); Jeremy Irons (1994–2007); Judi Dench (2007–present);
Diameter	165 ft (50 m)
Height	180 ft (55 m)
Circumference	518.1 ft (157.9 m)
Volume	2,350,000 cu ft (67,000 m3)
Weight	15,520,000 lb (7,040,000 kg)
Number of tiles	11,324
Sponsors	Bell System (1982–1984); AT&T (1984–2004); Siemens (2005–2017);
	Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Available
	Must transfer from wheelchair
	Assistive listening available

Spaceship Earth is a dark ride attraction at the EPCOT theme park at the Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. The geodesic sphere in which the attraction is housed has served as the symbolic structure of EPCOT since the park opened in 1982.

The 15-minute ride takes guests on a time machine-themed experience, demonstrating how advancements in human communication have helped to create the future one step at a time. Riding in Omnimover-type vehicles along a track that spirals up and down the geodesic sphere, passengers are taken through scenes depicting important breakthroughs in communication throughout history—from the development of early language through cave paintings, to the use of hieroglyphs, to the invention of the alphabet, to the creation of the printing press, to today's modern communication advancements, including telecommunication and mass communication.

An opening day attraction, the ride has been updated three times—in 1986, 1994, and 2007. A fourth update of the attraction was planned for the early 2020s but was indefinitely delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]^[3]^[4]

^ @wdwtoday (January 26, 2016). "Can you guess how many triangles make up the outside of Spaceship Earth?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ Riddley, Zach (February 25, 2020). "The Reimagining of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Begins". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
^ Laird, Robert (June 23, 2020). "Disney Hits Pause on Spaceship Earth Refurbishment". DAPS Magic. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
^ Niles, Robert (June 20, 2020). "Disney Confirms 'Pause' on Spaceship Earth Rewrite". Theme Park Insider. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

[1] @wdwtoday (January 26, 2016). "Can you guess how many triangles make up the outside of Spaceship Earth?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[may_closure-2] Riddley, Zach (February 25, 2020). "The Reimagining of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Begins". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

[2020_Refurbishment_Delay_-_DAPS-3] Laird, Robert (June 23, 2020). "Disney Hits Pause on Spaceship Earth Refurbishment". DAPS Magic. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

[2020_Refurbishment_Delay_-_TPI-4] Niles, Robert (June 20, 2020). "Disney Confirms 'Pause' on Spaceship Earth Rewrite". Theme Park Insider. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

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